The SG Shorty Acoustic-Electric is RainSong's smallest and most refined body shape with a unidirectional soundboard, hybrid body construction, and a short scale 12-fret neck -- the perfect combination for an intimate instrument with a warm tone and surprising punch.

Shorty's neck joins the body at the 12th fret rather than the 14th fret. This moves the bridge back on the soundboard towards the center of the lower bout resulting in improved sonic energy transmission from the strings to the soundboard and enhanced bass response.

Unidirectional carbon mimics the tight grain of a fine Spruce soundboard. First introduced on the Concert Series, this soundboard is RainSong's lightest. The Hybrid body technology blends the crystalline highs of carbon with the mellow tones of glass. The synergy between the unidirectional soundboard and the hybrid body is obvious from Shorty's first strum.

The SG features a high-gloss, UV protective, polyurethane finish that magnifies the 3 dimensional carbon weaves on the instrument. Includes case.

I own four Rainsong guitars...The Shorty is the greatest. I feel that this guitar was made for me. The sound and acoustic volume is incredible. Plugged in is even more incredible...They did it all with this smaller thin bodied guitar, with the same big sound as the ws1000....I am a teacher and a solo performer living in a tropical climate. PERFECT.....

Half the time I pay outdoor gigs it's way too hot. I sweat on the guitar because I'm in the blazing sun. I hate even taking one of my nice guitars out for these gigs. -Not a problem with carbon fiber.In the winter time I have to go downstairs and get a guitar out of my climate controlled room. When I'm done playing, I have to make another trip to put it away. Now I will be able to leave this guitar out and pick it up whenever I want to play. -No concerns about low humidity. Plus, it is very loud and resonant. The electronics are great. It's really nice not to have to worry about putting a tuner on it- the built in one works even when you're not plugged in. This guitar is great for finger-style with wider fingerboard and short scale it's a pleasure to play.

I did all my homework and found the first CF guitar that fit the bill closest to everything I like in a guitar (and like so many others, I'm picky). I don't know why I've never gotten the chance to pick up a CF guitar- no stores in my area (which include 3 GCs within a 25 mile radius of me) carry any of the graphite variety and I've been playing for over 20 years. So I had to do a google and a craigslist search to see what if anything was out there. I'm particularly fond of Rainsong designs but saw the Acoustic Guitar Magazine review of the Shorty and was very intrigued- and that largely fueled my search.

I found a local musician/ dealer of new Rainsong guitars and gave him a call. I was the second person to play his Shorty (it was unboxed while I was there-it was pulled out of a plastic bag and case it was tuned and handed to me). I already knew the guitar's specs and what owner's (on this forum) had to say about theirs and now I can officially put in my 2 cents;

The guitar is wonderful- thanks to all who have bought CF guitars in the past which empowered CF guitar manufacturers to pour more into the R&D into the crafting of such guitars. For Rainsong, the Shorty is the product of such R&D and the outcome of which Rainsong should be very proud of.

It is small and comfy but has gorgeous tone coming out of it. The body is shallow, just over 4 inches at the endpin. You would never guess this in a blindfold test, because the sound is incredibly big for a little guitar- I just don't know how Rainsong pulled it of but they DID.

The tone is very fundamental- not your guitar if you like lots of overtones. If you like clear a defined tone found often in OM body types- this guitar excels here. The harmonics are bell like and sustain is so beautiful it sounds like voices from another world- but "heaven" comes to mind.

The unidirectional top is very responsive and when combined with the hybrid carbon/ glass b/s, you have a warm guitar too. I played the guitar unplugged, and then plugged in using the Fishman onboard Pre. Sounded pretty good- and quite a bit better than the Fishman Classic 4 on my Breedlove. I then attached my Miniflex mic model 2 and gave that run. It sounded REALLY good! Even the shop owner was impressed with the tone the Miniflex reproduced (which really just compliments the guitar). The mids were stunning and "shimmery" the lows were good enough for a small bodied OM, and the trebles sing like Rainsong guitars are known for.

The NS2 neck is something I would need to get used to- mostly because I've played fast neck guitars all my life (Ibanez RG series- an Ovation Celebrity and my Breedlove AC25/SR with a gorgeous (albeit 2 piece) hog neck. Still, like many other reviews- it is not a deal breaker. I trust my body to adjust should I buy it- I want the truss rod just in case and can't justify dropping that kind of cash for an acoustic without one. The neck was oddly more comfortable than I expected after reading on Acoustic Guitar Magazine that the neck has a bit of "heft".

All in all I give this guitar a 5 out of 5 stars. I loved it and I want it

I have tried several rainsong guitars. They all sound like plastic guitars to me and this one is no exception. In addition, it lacks tone and volume acoustically. Plugged in it's better but still sounds synthetic, so it's best suited for an individual who needs a shorter scale, will play plugged in, and does not want to worry about humidity changes. I am giving it a below average rating because for the money, you could purchase a much better wooden guitar than this one.